Soul Wins Favorite Animated Film at 2021 Kids’ Choice Awards

The 2021 Kids’ Choice Awards saw Pixar’s Soul capture the blimp for Favorite Animated Film. This year, Nick is continuing on with the half virtual/half in-person format that a lot of awards shows have been using this year. Kenan Thompson comes back to the network that helped put him on the map to host this year. Disney and Pixar have got to feel good about their achievements as Soul has thrilled audiences across the world. The film was supposed to premiere in theaters late last year. However, the coronavirus pandemic made that virtually impossible. On Disney+, the movie proved it could stand out in a sea of streaming content from all sides. The movie held it’s own against giant efforts like Wonder Woman 1984 and Hamilton. Kemp Powers and Jon Batiste previously sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss why kids loved the music so much.

“A lot of people wonder when you pitch a movie like Soul, would kids be into it?” Powers wondered. “And the main reason why I don’t think we ever were really concerned was because we knew that if we presented the music, performed in the dynamic way that jazz music is performed, that kids would lean into it, in the same way that all of us leaned in while watching Sesame Street or Tom & Jerry. Kids actually have a very visceral, natural connection to music.”

The Late Show musician discussed making the soundtrack with IndieWire. His time as a musician greatly influenced how they modeled Joe Gardner’s songs.

“The film is tackling a few heavy existential questions,” Batiste said. “Where does our soul come from? What is our purpose in life? And I had a lot of experience as a musician that I could bring to Joe, trying to get his big break. I wanted to find some jazz music that had an ethereal and very universal, accessible form with melodies and harmonies that had that same spirit. So there’s an optimism in them, and it’s also a bit melancholy at the same time, and there’s ways that you can modulate and change the key, and it just hits you [emotionally].”

Did you love Soul? Let us know down in the comments!